Offshore parent visas can be temporary or permanent.
The Subclass 173 visa is a temporary visa with a validity period of 2 years. This means that the holder of the Subclass 173 may remain in Australia for up to 2 years. They may then apply for the Subclass 143 Offshore Contributory Parent Visa.

The Subclass 143 Offshore Contributory Parent visa is a permanent visa that permits the holder to remain in Australia indefinitely. It has a travel facility with a validity of up to 5 years. If a holder of the 143 visa wishes to depart and re-enter Australia after these 5 years, they should first obtain Australian citizenship or a visa available to permanent residents that permits re-entry.

It is possible to apply for the permanent visa without applying for the temporary visa. Many applications choose to apply for the permanent visa only, as the process is less demanding. Application fees for this visa are $43,000 per applicant with processing times approximately 3-4 years.

The Subclass 884/864 Onshore parent visas are available to applicants over the age of 65. These are similar to the offshore parent visas, with the benefit that the applicant will be issued with a Bridging Visa to remain in Australia during the processing of the application.
Application fees for this visa are $43,000 per applicant with processing times approximately 3-4 years.

This visa is available to applicants who meet the Balance of Family test and are over the age of 65.
The applicant will also be issued with a Bridging Visa to remain in Australia during processing.
Application fees for this visa are significant less than the other parent visas. The visa application fee is $4035, but has a processing time of 25-30+ years.
Our migration agents are available to discuss your best option for the parent visa subclass.